INTERNATIONAL VIEWS ON RIVER JETEZ

River Jetez - J&B Met 2010
(Photo : Gold Circle)

RIVER JETEZ

Below are a couple of comments received via the Summerhill YouTube Channel relating to evergreen South African race mare, River Jetez.

Dear Summerhill Stud,
I just wanted to let you guys know, as a HUGE fan of River Jetez, that I thought her effort against Stacelita in the G1 Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington was fantastic!! This mare is all heart, and then some!! Anyone who’s followed Stacelita’s career, knows she was a multiple G1 winner in France. So there’s certainly no shame in a loss to her. She’s traveled the world in 2011, and more than held her own in every country she’s raced in. Not sure what Mike De Kock plans are for her now? But since I live about 90 minutes away from Churchill Downs in Kentucky, I would dearly love it if Mike De Kock brought River Jetez back stateside to race in this year’s B.C.F&M Turf!! I think River Jetez would be a fantastic addition to that race. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll get to see her again in Dubai in 2012? Also, congrats on acquiring Master of Hounds from Coolmore, also!! He’s another that’s got a world of as of yet untapped potential. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s one of De Kock’s Dubai World Cup horses in 2012?? Regards!!

GBeret83
United States

Dearly love this mare!! She’s all heart!! River Jetez has traveled the world in 2011, and held her own everywhere she’s been!! She was awesome at Meydan during this year’s Dubai Carnival. Probably didn’t run quite as well in Hong Kong and Singapore as De Kock would’ve liked? But she certainly wasn’t shamed either. Ran a respectable Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, and followed that up with what I thought was a splendid effort against Stacelita in the G1 Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington!! Class mare!! The 2011 Dubai Carnival was my first time ever seeing River Jetez, and I fell in love with her from the start. Although, I thought jockey error from Soumillon kept her from winning both the Cape Verdi and Balanchine. And her Duty Free 2nd to Presvis was awesome, too. I know River Jetez is getting some age on her now. But she’s just so competitive. Really would love to see De Kock bring her to Churchill Downs for this year’s B.C. F&M Turf, and hopefully back to Meydan in 2012!! TJMO!!

GBeret83
United States

Mick’s reply:

Many thanks for your comments. They are always very welcome. You are obviously a blue-blooded racing man who knows his stuff extremely well. We have passed on your remarks to Mike de Kock and the two owners of River Jetez, as well as posting these comments on our Blog.

Hopefully you will see her at the BC Fillies and Mares.

Warm regards
Mick Goss

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Summerhill YouTube Channel

GALILEO GLUT

Dr Jim Hay and Fitri Hay
(Photo : Summerhill Archives)

…we’ve attracted a bit of “flak”…

We’ve been sounding like a stuck record for some years now, and we’ve attracted a bit of “flak” for our assertions that Galileo might be as good, and maybe better than his own remarkable sire, Sadler’s Wells, but events at the weekend have only served to reinforce this view. For the record, Galileo is already head and shoulders ahead of his nearest pursuer with some 8 Group One winners this season (against the 3 of his closest pursuer, Montjeu), and on Saturday he showed his versatility with a Grade One double at Arlington Park in the United States.

In the older brigade, Cape Blanco gave one of America’s leading grass horses, Gio Ponti (Tale Of The Cat) a 2,5 length beating for Summerhill clients Jim and Fitri Hay, among the usual crew at Coolmore, while Treasure Beach, the Irish Derby hero of this year, took the three-year-old event, the Secretariat Stakes (Gr1) from the Aga Khan’s Ziyarid. Both Galileos were trained by the Irish phenomenon, Aidan O’Brien.

The third feature of the day, the Group 1 Beverley D. Stakes for fillies and mares, carried South African hopes in the form of the seven-year-old mare, River Jetez, who came on strongly from the rear to be beaten just a short head for the consolation 2^nd money, 2,5 lengths adrift of the triple Group One winner, Stacelita, a European-bred daughter of the German-based stallion Monsun, a storied sire in his own right.

For the record, Summerhill’s been quietly accumulating daughters of Galileo for its broodmare contingent, and there are five on the farm as we write. Of course, it’s well known that we let the “Legend”, Igugu go, but as Zulu farmers dependant only on horses for a living, that was a matter of economic good sense!

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SIRES
(By Group 1 Stakes Winners YTD)

Sire	G1 Stakes Winners
GALILEO (IRE)	8
MONTJEU (IRE)	3
DANEHILL DANCER (IRE)	2
DEEP IMPACT (JPN)	2
DUBAWI (IRE)	2
DYNAFORMER (USA)	2

A PLAY WITHOUT PUNCH

River Jetez
(Photo : Stable Life)

THE BEVERLEY D AND THE ARLINGTON MILLION

Tonight marks the annual Equus Awards, a celebration of South Africa’s racing champions. One of our biggest winners, the world renowned trainer Mike de Kock, will be absent, away in Chicago for the running of the Beverly D. Stakes (Gr1), on the same card as the Arlington Million. Engaged for the de Kock stable is the evergreen mare, River Jetez, where the daughter of Jet Master is priced up as the 4-1 second favourite to Stacelita. There’s no knowing what shape a seven-year-old mare will be in, but if River Jetez is at her best, she’ll certainly frighten the likes of the favourite, and her other two principal opponents, Cheetah (9-2) and Fantasia (6-1).

In the Million field, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Cape Blanco (part owned by Summerhill clients, Jim and Fitri Hay) is the 9-5 chalk ahead of the outstanding American guard horse Gio Ponti. Riveting stuff, and two races right at the top of America’s best turf event.

SEA THE STARS IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN

Click above to watch Sea The Stars in the
2009 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
(Footage : Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe)

QATAR PRIX DE L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE
2009 

It may be a day later, but revisiting the career of the biggest star in racing’s firmament (maybe of all time) has to be worth a read.

Guided by the incomparable nerve of Mick Kinane, Sea the Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) emerged from the cauldron of the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with a reputation pitched into the stratosphere, registering an emphatic two-length success in yesterday’s 88th renewal.

The Thoroughbred Daily News reports that despite the scarcely believable exploits of the Tsui homebred so far in 2009, there was no sign of any wear-and-tear.

The 4-5 favorite over-raced from the outset, and continued to pull even after his jockey had buried him in the pack against the fence. While that is the quickest way around Longchamp, it is not a route without anxiety, and for a brief period in early stretch with space in short supply, it seemed as though his quest for immortality was in jeopardy. When a half-gap appeared, the brilliant winner of two Classics and a total of five Group 1s delivered his spellbinding acceleration to cut a swathe between the G1 Prix Vermeille protagonists Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) and Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), and once he was in front with 250 meters remaining, the story was told. In the end, it was Youmzain (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}) who emerged best of the rest to fill the runner’s - up berth for the third consecutive year. Trainer John Oxx was typically calm afterwards when saying, “It’s just a relief that he came through it and it’s wonderful that it’s over. He had to have the gears to get out, and Mick wouldn’t panic, because he knew he had them. We were not too alarmed at any stage.”

Sea The Stars first came to attention when registering a smooth maiden win at Leopardstown in August of 2008, each step of the journey for the latest product of the celebrated Urban Sea has been well-documented.

Following his comfortable win in The Curragh’s G2 Beresford Stakes - essentially a race for potential middle-distance prospects - the following month, John Oxx spoke of his desire to avoid pigeon-holing his rare talent. The G1 2000 Guineas was the first port of call this term. He proved at Newmarket he had the speed to sprint, and at Epsom on the first Saturday in June, he entered a small class of luminaries able to carry that pace over a mile and a half. Still in league with some past greats when adding the G1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes to both Classics, he began to distance himself from all but the very top runners in history by taking the G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Irish Champion Stakes with more than a degree of comfort.

Entering Europe’s endgame, which had proven a bridge too far for many of racing’s stars, the combination of perfect ground and his unshakable temperament kept confidence high. His enthusiasm was certainly intact in the first furlong, where only Dar Re Mi was ahead as he adopted his sprinter-miler persona and tugged for his head before calming to Mick Kinane’s hands as he found cover. Deep in the ruck on the final turn, his veteran jockey refused to give up the rail, and after being given the office, Sea the Stars skipped around the fading pacemakers with balletic poise before cutting down the competition in ruthless fashion.

The high-class fillies Stacelita (Monsun {Ger}) and Dar Re Mi (Singspile {Ire}) were the last rivals Sea The Stars saw as he raced into the lead, and although a batch of five Group 1 winners followed him home, he proved in a different category at the line.